Monthly Archives: September 2013

It’s here. A World of Romance by authors of ASMSG is now available FREE for download from Smashwords. Twenty-two short romance stories by authors across the world.

Sweet, poignant, funny, hot, fantastical, or whimsical, there are stories in this romantic collection to suit a variety of tastes. I jumped at the opportunity to warm up the cold depths of space with some hot romance and my story ASHES uses elements from my Shimmer in the Dark sci-fi series without revealing too much of the developing plot.

It’s a great freebie collection with beautiful cover art by Ida Janssen of Amygdala Design.

Like this:

Autumn in England signals the end of summer and a slow movement towards winter as the temperature drops and the nights get longer and darker. With less sunshine and a lost summer it’s also the time many authors get their heads down and historically write more than during any other season.

Mid October 2013, Mid Sussex overlooking the High Weald to the north.”

But autumn in England is ‘Fall’ in America and ‘Spring’ in South Africa so you’re invited to discover how different authors approach this time of the year. Come and meet some of my friends who are writers who have either recently published works or are working on books that are likely to be available at the end of this wonderful season. Indeed, they’ve all been asked the same questions as they introduce themselves and their work. So, let’s hear what they have to say. First up is Ceri London.

My Silver Birch is turning golden

Q. Whereabouts do you live, Ceri?

A. I live in West Sussex, England, just south of the High Weald, an area of outstanding natural beauty and very beautiful in the Autumn.

Q. Are you a full time writer or do you have a regular day job?

A. I feel like a full-time writer as I work every spare moment I have, but I do have a day job — I have been tutoring piano for several years now.

Q. Do you tend to write more this time of the year or do you have a different writing schedule?

A. I do write a lot in the Autumn, but looking back I think I am especially head down into my writing in the Winter through to Spring. Summer is a bad time for writing. I am too easily distracted and there are holidays and family occasions, so this year I used the time to write a short story for a Romance anthology and work on editing projects for writer friends who do the same for me.

Q. When you’re not writing how do you spend your leisure time? Do you have any particular hobbies or interests?

Fuchsia still blooming in mid-October

A. Naturally, I enjoy playing the piano — not particularly well, I’m not a performer — and it won’t surprise anyone to discover I love reading! Writing has been my hobby for years. I did try horse-riding when my children were younger, but quickly decided the world raced by way too quickly for my liking when I rode a horse. I much prefer writing where I’m in control of the worlds I create.

Q. What does Autumn mean to you?

A. I love the look of Autumn—the colours on the trees, the berries appearing on a Rowan Mountain Ash outside our bedroom window, seeing the buddleia come into bloom and the fuchsia in the front garden is spectacular. I love raiding my wardrobe for warmer clothing, getting out the throws and wrapping them around me as the colder nights settle in. It’s a busy season with the start of a new school year, but this Autumn I will be working on the sequel to my debut novel.

Q. What part of the world would you most like to live in if you couldn’t live where you are now?

A. I want a Seychelles island with an air-conditioned luxury bungalow looking out over the sea. No, I want a portal I can step through that will take me to any part of the world. I would love to see the Grand Canyon, visit Canada, see the Northern lights, and cruise down the Rhine. Ooh, the Channel Islands would be lovely — Jersey, maybe. Further south, but not too hot in the summer, beautiful scenery, and a leisurely pace of life!

Mahon, August 2013

Q. If you won a million pounds / dollars on the lottery, what would you do with it?

A. Only a million? I would definitely complete our house extension, a long-term project. Then I would buy a sweet cottage for our retirement that we could use as a holiday home in the meantime. I’d want to help our children and family out a bit. There should be some fun: a run-around car, annual football season tickets and golf club membership for my husband, holidays. A gardener! For the garden . . .

I would love to own a yacht, and one of those luxury RV’s to tour America, and a helicopter complete with pilot. I need a lot more than a million!

Q. With regards to your writing who would you say has inspired you most in your career to date?

A. In terms of books I’ve read, Frank Herbert — I loved Dune and the whole epic, crazy world he created. But since I’ve started writing to publish, there have been two people who have inspired me to greater heights: My long-term beta, Debby, who always insists I can do better, and when I do, she writes Awesome or Yes in her comments! I love those moments because she sets high standards, for both her writing and mine. And then there is my other critique partner who spots deficiencies with my plot or character development and who will read through a zillion rewrites until I get it right. Their patience and commitment is inspirational because they believe in me and my writing, and we’ve never even met! Both are amazing writers themselves and I respect them enormously.

Q. What genre do you write in?

A. Science-fiction and fantasy is the broad genre. However, my debut novel and series has been written thriller style and it fits an action-adventure techno thriller on an epic scale. I do enjoy writing romance and had some fun writing a short story for an ASMSG anthology: A World of Romance, but setting it in my Shimmer world. Follow my blog to find out more.

Q. Have you published anything yet or do you have a ‘work in progress’?

Shimmer in the Dark: Rogue Genesis Cover

A. I published Rogue Genesis – the first novel in my Shimmer In the Dark series – in July this year.

Q. Tell us about your work. Do you have a particular character that figures consistently in your work or are you in the stage of developing a lead character?

A. Major Niall Kearey is your archetypal all-American military hero. USAF Special Tactics — he rescues Americans and allies in trouble behind enemy lines. But Niall is a man with many secrets. All his life, Niall has visited an alien world on the other side of the universe. He has dreamed lifetimes of experiences on Astereal. Though only in his thirties, his skills and wisdom reflect a far older man. He is shrewd and discerning. He trusts no one with his secrets, not even his wife, but recent events prove that Astereal is real, and this alien world is dying.

Niall is a man under intense pressure from all sides. His wife, children, friends, government, secret societies, and an entire civilization of aliens — They all need him. Pressure does strange things to Niall. He begins learning new and amazing facets of his abilities to manipulate electromagnetism and astral projection. But his abilities may not be enough to protect his family, satisfy the needs of his government, and save a dying race on the opposite side of the universe.

Q. What do you think is the most difficult obstacle to overcome in today’s writing world?

A. Obscurity. I’ve chosen to publish my own work and the sheer volume of books out there is an obstacle. However, I believe readers will find good books and authors who work at promotion can only up the chances of their book getting noticed. But publishing more books is the key and so I need to settle down and finish my sequel. It’s made good progress and I intend to break the back of it by Christmas.

Q. Where can we find out more about your work?

A. Just click here to access my book blurb, first chapter and a video book trailer. Rogue Genesis can be purchased:

Thank you. Can I invite you to meet my friends in this wonderful world of writing? Just click on the names below and you’ll find yourself reading a different set of answers to the same questions. Please support my friends and fellow authors by visiting their sites and checking out their contribution. Thank you for joining me on my blog tour.